Nick sank to the ground, the reality of how close he had come to dying
sinking in. By all rights he should be dead. By some miracle, there had
been just enough space around his body in the void to protect him from
being crushed. No part of his body had been trapped by debris, and the
rescue crew had been able to pull him out after only cutting the lace on
his boot. The hardhat had protected him from serious injury or death and
as Nick looked at it in Grissom's hands he realized that perhaps the
prayers that he had sent heavenward had worked. Someone was looking out
for him, perhaps had a purpose for him. An overwhelming sense of
gratefulness hit him and he looked over at Sara who had sat down next to
him.
For the first time the rubble that he'd been freed from registered in his mind. Tears began to stream down his face again and choking sobs overtook him as he rested his face in his hands. Even though he'd had a gun pulled on him twice in his career since coming to Vegas, being trapped under rubble as the result of a major earthquake was a completely different life and death situation. Each movement of the rubble had been a reminder of his mortality, and as the time had stretched on both he and Sara's nerves had become raw. Only the company of each other had helped them keep from complete panic. The fact that he'd been trapped longer, had given him longer to think, and now that he was free, it all hit him full force.
Sara wrapped her arms around Nick and just held him as they sat on the ground, facing the rubble they'd been freed from. Each of them was well aware of how blessed they were to just be alive.
Grissom looked at them with concern etched on his face. He knew that physically Nick and Sara appeared to be ok, but emotionally and mentally there would probably be residual effects from the experience for quite a while.
The paramedics swarmed in over Nick and Sara and ushered them off to the back of a waiting ambulance to get checked over. Now that Sara knew that Nick was safe, she finally consented to let the paramedics check her out. Other than being exhausted, dirty, and somewhat dehydrated, she was fine.
When Nick found out that she had refused treatment while he was still trapped he gently chided her. "Sar, you should have let them check you out." His brow furrowed as he studied her.
She looked at him with a pleading expression on her face as a small cut on his forehead was treated by one of the paramedics. "I couldn't leave. I needed to know what happened to you. I thought I'd never see you again.
The paramedic worked silently as Nick and Sara continued to talk softly in the back of the ambulance.
"Sara, I'm so glad you got out of there when you did. If you hadn't we might have both died." Nick replied earnestly.
Sara's face was a myriad of expressions. "I was so scared, Nick."
He reached over and took her hand. "I know, Sara, I was scared too."
The paramedic interjected. "You're both good to go. Just get some fluids and rest. Nick if you start feeling dizzy, you might still want to go to the ER."
"Thanks, man." Nick answered him. He turned back to Sara. "Let's get out of here. I still owe you some lemons." A grin started to spread across his face.
They descended from the back of the ambulance and found Grissom who was trying to figure out whether the crime scene was salvageable. He glanced up as he saw Nick and Sara approaching. "I'm going to take over your crime scene. I want both of you to go home and get some rest. We'll talk about the case when you've had a chance to sleep. Warrick's going to drive you back to the lab." He delivered his statements in a perfunctory fashion.
Nick nodded. "Thanks, Gris, but you should know that we think that the kitchen might have been the primary crime scene. The underside of the flooring was stained with blood. We didn't get a chance to check out the kitchen before the earthquake hit."
"We also found some sort of cloth snagged on a nail. If you locate our kits, the evidence should be inside." Sara added.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Now get out of here and get some rest. We've got it under control." Grissom chided.
"Thanks for everything." Nick tried to keep the emotion out of his voice.
Grissom cast them both a fatherly look. "We were worried about you both. I'm just glad things turned out ok."
They both nodded at him and headed toward the Denali where Warrick waited for them.
They rode back to the lab in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Warrick watched them with a mixture of concern and gratefulness that they had both gotten out alive. When they arrived at the lab, Nick and Sara made their way to the locker room. On each of their lockers hung a bag of lemons. Apparently, Grissom had asked someone to make sure they had some when they got back.
Sara glanced at Nick quizzically.
He started to chuckle. "I bet Grissom did that."
Sara smiled as she finally took in their attire. "I guess we would look a little strange walking through a grocery store like this to buy lemons."
Nick laughed. "We do smell."
Sara smirked. "Yeah, and at least part of that is my fault."
Nick cast her a soft glance. "Hey, I told you not to worry about that. Ok?" He reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Ok." Sara responded quietly.
Nick released her hand and each of them grabbed a change of clothes out of their lockers before grabbing the lemons and parting ways to take their respective showers.
A while later, Sara was sitting on the bench in front of the lockers dressed in fresh clean clothes towel drying her hair and staring off in to space when Nick finally returned wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a sweatshirt. He studied her for a moment and then sat down next to her.
Sara looked over at him and whispered. "I'm scared to go home and be alone, Nick." Her voice sounded so small and vulnerable; very un-Sara- like.
He pulled her close, his arms securely around her. "I understand, I don't want to be alone either. Do you want to come over?" His voice was just a whisper.
Sara leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, I do. I need to get some clothes from my apartment first though."
"Ok." Nick kissed her forehead and then stood up and stowed his gear in his locker.
Sara put the rest of her things away and then they made their way out to Nick's Denali before driving over to Sara's apartment, silently wondering if the earthquake had done any damage.
For the first time the rubble that he'd been freed from registered in his mind. Tears began to stream down his face again and choking sobs overtook him as he rested his face in his hands. Even though he'd had a gun pulled on him twice in his career since coming to Vegas, being trapped under rubble as the result of a major earthquake was a completely different life and death situation. Each movement of the rubble had been a reminder of his mortality, and as the time had stretched on both he and Sara's nerves had become raw. Only the company of each other had helped them keep from complete panic. The fact that he'd been trapped longer, had given him longer to think, and now that he was free, it all hit him full force.
Sara wrapped her arms around Nick and just held him as they sat on the ground, facing the rubble they'd been freed from. Each of them was well aware of how blessed they were to just be alive.
Grissom looked at them with concern etched on his face. He knew that physically Nick and Sara appeared to be ok, but emotionally and mentally there would probably be residual effects from the experience for quite a while.
The paramedics swarmed in over Nick and Sara and ushered them off to the back of a waiting ambulance to get checked over. Now that Sara knew that Nick was safe, she finally consented to let the paramedics check her out. Other than being exhausted, dirty, and somewhat dehydrated, she was fine.
When Nick found out that she had refused treatment while he was still trapped he gently chided her. "Sar, you should have let them check you out." His brow furrowed as he studied her.
She looked at him with a pleading expression on her face as a small cut on his forehead was treated by one of the paramedics. "I couldn't leave. I needed to know what happened to you. I thought I'd never see you again.
The paramedic worked silently as Nick and Sara continued to talk softly in the back of the ambulance.
"Sara, I'm so glad you got out of there when you did. If you hadn't we might have both died." Nick replied earnestly.
Sara's face was a myriad of expressions. "I was so scared, Nick."
He reached over and took her hand. "I know, Sara, I was scared too."
The paramedic interjected. "You're both good to go. Just get some fluids and rest. Nick if you start feeling dizzy, you might still want to go to the ER."
"Thanks, man." Nick answered him. He turned back to Sara. "Let's get out of here. I still owe you some lemons." A grin started to spread across his face.
They descended from the back of the ambulance and found Grissom who was trying to figure out whether the crime scene was salvageable. He glanced up as he saw Nick and Sara approaching. "I'm going to take over your crime scene. I want both of you to go home and get some rest. We'll talk about the case when you've had a chance to sleep. Warrick's going to drive you back to the lab." He delivered his statements in a perfunctory fashion.
Nick nodded. "Thanks, Gris, but you should know that we think that the kitchen might have been the primary crime scene. The underside of the flooring was stained with blood. We didn't get a chance to check out the kitchen before the earthquake hit."
"We also found some sort of cloth snagged on a nail. If you locate our kits, the evidence should be inside." Sara added.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Now get out of here and get some rest. We've got it under control." Grissom chided.
"Thanks for everything." Nick tried to keep the emotion out of his voice.
Grissom cast them both a fatherly look. "We were worried about you both. I'm just glad things turned out ok."
They both nodded at him and headed toward the Denali where Warrick waited for them.
They rode back to the lab in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Warrick watched them with a mixture of concern and gratefulness that they had both gotten out alive. When they arrived at the lab, Nick and Sara made their way to the locker room. On each of their lockers hung a bag of lemons. Apparently, Grissom had asked someone to make sure they had some when they got back.
Sara glanced at Nick quizzically.
He started to chuckle. "I bet Grissom did that."
Sara smiled as she finally took in their attire. "I guess we would look a little strange walking through a grocery store like this to buy lemons."
Nick laughed. "We do smell."
Sara smirked. "Yeah, and at least part of that is my fault."
Nick cast her a soft glance. "Hey, I told you not to worry about that. Ok?" He reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Ok." Sara responded quietly.
Nick released her hand and each of them grabbed a change of clothes out of their lockers before grabbing the lemons and parting ways to take their respective showers.
A while later, Sara was sitting on the bench in front of the lockers dressed in fresh clean clothes towel drying her hair and staring off in to space when Nick finally returned wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a sweatshirt. He studied her for a moment and then sat down next to her.
Sara looked over at him and whispered. "I'm scared to go home and be alone, Nick." Her voice sounded so small and vulnerable; very un-Sara- like.
He pulled her close, his arms securely around her. "I understand, I don't want to be alone either. Do you want to come over?" His voice was just a whisper.
Sara leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, I do. I need to get some clothes from my apartment first though."
"Ok." Nick kissed her forehead and then stood up and stowed his gear in his locker.
Sara put the rest of her things away and then they made their way out to Nick's Denali before driving over to Sara's apartment, silently wondering if the earthquake had done any damage.